Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of protective cover arrangements for cargo in general and in particular to an internally mounted retractable cargo cover panel that will protect the contents of a freight truck or trailer.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,785,694; 4,901,895; 5,491,021 and 5,829,818, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse protective cover arrangements for the exterior of a truck, semi-trailer or the like.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical internally mounted protective arrangement that will prevent moisture or debris from being deposited onto the cargo contained within the cargo hold of a freight transporting vehicle.
As most freight handlers are all too well aware, millions of dollars of damage a year are incurred by cargo due to water that seeps into and/or is blown into the cargo hold of freight carriers in the normal course of transporting cargo from one location to another.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among freight handlers for a new and improved protective cover arrangement that is quick and easy to install and use, and which will virtually eliminate the possibility that cargo will suffer water damage during transport; and, the provision of such an arrangement is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the retractable cargo cover arrangement that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a retractable cover unit and a retention unit.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the retractable cover unit is an oversized version of a retractable window shade and includes a generally elongated rectangular cover member fabricated from waterproof material and having an upper end affixed to, and wound around, a spring loaded retraction cylinder having a pair of mounting stubs and a lower end affixed to an elongated dowel likewise provided with a pair of mounting stubs.
In addition, the retention unit includes a first pair of upper bracket members adapted to releasably engage the mounting stubs on the spring loaded retraction cylinder and a second pair of lower bracket members adapted to releasably engage the mounting stubs on the elongated dowel when the cover member is fully retracted (relative to the spring loaded retraction cylinder) to provide a waterproof barrier between the cargo contained within the cargo hold and the cargo hold opening.